James Marston, Trainer at BICSc, reports.
Office buildings, especially in cities, have been undergoing a transformation. Wide-open workspaces, less furniture, removal of carpets replaced with hard floor materials such as laminates, stone, vinyl and linoleum. Kitchens are simply designed often with islands and reduced storage. Bathrooms have sustainable services, insoluble walls and fittings. Refurbishments are accelerating as landlords entice businesses back to work with the promise of plush workspaces and safe environments.
It appears to be working. My recent trips on public transport to London and the north were as busy as ever with standing room only on some services. Notably Mondays and Fridays were much quieter.
The move by building owners and designers sits well with cleaning. Less volume (furniture) in rooms and spaces means less intricate cleaning and disinfection. It reduces the need for deep cleaning if surfaces are accessible and quickly cleansed. Recent conversations with cleaning business owners highlighted how cleaning is evolving in response.
Sadly, pressure to evolve also derives from the squeeze on costs, staff recruitment and retention especially for part-time and low-hour contract arrangements. Reduced running costs are potentially easier if the building has been modernised with the latest materials. Cleaner and friendlier buildings are not the whole answer. Cleaning companies must adapt as well. Those who seek to invest and embrace market changes are possibly ahead of their competitors. Organisations that fail to recognise current trends and don’t adapt face a more uncertain future as clients seek lower-cost services. Nobody wants to feel uncertain these days.
Mobilising a new contract often means inheriting a workforce. Staff have no idea of your methods, approach to work and skills. The client does not want the same either. Is it a problem or an opportunity? It must be an opportunity.
In procuring the contract the best outcome for all is a plan and approach agreed with the client who will be a partner in your project. Create an efficient team with the equipment and the skills to clean modern buildings at pace embracing the latest tech and methods. If the client already has a workforce that achieves these goals, then it’s time to celebrate. If not, the development of the service must be ready to go.
Creating a highly adaptable and efficient workforce driven from existing teams is a great objective. The pinch is what’s the cost, can it be achieved and would staff embrace the changes? Is this already happening? BICSc thinks so.
Many organisations are sending managers and senior staff on BICSc Cleaning Professional Skill Suite (CPSS) courses both on-site and online. This allows organisations to tailor the model to suit their needs. The knowledge and techniques required to pass practical formal assessments can then be trained into frontline teams. In turn, staff are empowered to deliver efficiencies and deploy the latest equipment - for example, flat mop systems and microfibre cloths, powerful chemical concentrates, and machinery.
The training and skills discussed here are not news to most. The excellent results in our modern and refurbished buildings by skilled and knowledgeable staff trained by a unique flexible model is very welcome news.
Contractors and business owners experiencing real hardship delivering in the current market now have an option by mobilising their own precious human resources. BICSc wants to support this by reducing the barriers to learning and increase access to practical training for all.
Sleek and engineered spaces created to protect staff and support productivity are an opportunity to redesign and revitalise cleaning teams. I hope more service contractors, clients and business owners take advantage of investing in their people to maintain these fantastic spaces.
www.bics.org.uk
About the contributor
James Marston
Trainer and Inspector
BICSc